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Your own head is spinning with a breast cancer diagnosis and you have doctors to see, procedures to endure, and decisions to make about your treatment. You may have worries about how you’ll manage your family, your career, and all the responsibilities of your life. You need to find ways to tell your family, your loved ones, possibly children, and close friends. The last thing …

Most families are more of a mixed bunch of emotions than we see in the photo of matching outfits and happy smiles on holiday cards. Life cannot be photo-shopped, so in our own lives we see what really happens when the camera is off.

The holidays bring a mix of happiness and stress, hopefulness and memories, and mixed emotions for many of us. All of …

The holidays bring a mix of happiness and stress, hopefulness and memories, and mixed emotions for many. All of these feelings can combine in an especially bittersweet blend for women experiencing breast cancer. Coping with the real challenges as well as the joys of shopping, cooking, family gatherings, and other celebrations can be an emotional roller coaster when you are dealing with your own illness.…

Genetic testing for breast cancer evokes emotional issues from the moment a woman begins to consider testing or is told that a close family member is considering genetic testing. This is true whether or not the individual woman has herself been diagnosed with breast cancer. Concerns over the results of the testing, and where those results may lead, often cause anxiety and other stress reactions. …

There are times when we say things we wish we hadn’t. My patients have certainly talked about this experience, especially as they go through menopause. I’ve experienced it too, wishing intently that I had kept a thought to myself, or studiously ignoring my husband’s question whether I would like to open my mouth to change feet.